Powdered beverages come packaged in various containers, depending on consumer preference and use. Conventional containers for powdered beverage mixes include single serving packets, as well as bulk containers. With regard to single serving packets, a user opens a packet and pours its contents into a liquid container, such as a bottle, glass or pitcher, and then adds water to form a liquid beverage. With regard to bulk containers, a user scoops out a desired quantity of the powder and adds it to the liquid container to mix with water therein to form the liquid beverage.
One disadvantage with conventional single serving powder packets is that one is not able to easily customize the amount of powder to be added to the liquid container in order to adjust to a particular container size or a personal taste preference. Further, the single serving packet contains a predetermined amount of powder for a specific serving size, such as the required amount of powder for a 0.5 liter beverage. However, should one wish to make a beverage larger or smaller than 0.5 liters, one either has to estimate and use less than the single serving size packet when making a smaller sized beverage and use more than one packet when making a larger sized beverage. With regard to bulk powder containers, although they provide the flexibility of measuring a varying amount of powder to add to various sized liquid containers, they lack the portability and convenience that single serving packets provide.
Mechanical dispensers have to be used to dispense and meter various powders, such as laundry powder, fertilizer and medicinal powder. One recent powder dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0164059, which discloses a powder delivery device for dispensing a clotting agent. The dispenser comprises a housing; a plunger contained in the housing; a gating component comprising a first gate having a closed end, an open end and a second gate; and a metering area between the first gate and the second gate. The gating component permits a predetermined quantity of powdered material to be metered and dispensed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,212 discloses a dispenser for metering and dispensing laundry detergent. The device includes a container with a valve assembly mounted therein. The valve assembly has a valve body including a closure member that is enlarged and conical and that closes the valve aperture of the container. The operating rod is encircled by a sealed spring that holds the valve body in position to close the valve aperture. When the spring is forced into a compressed position, e.g., by bringing the activating knob into contact with a measuring cup, the valve aperture opens and permits laundry agent within the container to flow into the measuring cup when dispensing is desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,498 discloses a dispenser for metering pre-measured quantities of material, such as tea, sugar and coffee, from a container. Dispensing of the material is controlled by a valve member which is normally biased by a spring. Force against the top of a container causes the valve member to assume a second position, permitting the material to flow into a chamber, but not out of it. Upon return of the valve to the original position, a chamber outlet is opened and the material is free to flow out of the dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,345 discloses a dispenser comprising a container body holding a granular product, a measuring chamber below the container body, and a valve between a container body and the measuring chamber, biased in an open position to allow product to flow into the measuring chamber. The valve selectively opens and closes two passages into and out of the measuring chamber. In its initial position, the valve is biased to open the passage between the container body and the measuring chamber and to close the passage between the measuring chamber and the exterior. Inversion of the dispenser causes a granular product to flow from the container body into the measuring chamber. While inverted, depressing a rod (actuator) attached to the valve closes the opening between the measuring chamber and the container body, preventing additional granular product from flowing into the measuring chamber from the container body from above, and simultaneously opens the passage from the measuring chamber to the exterior, permitting the product in the measuring chamber to be dispensed from the dispenser.
There is a need in the powdered beverage dispensing art for new and improved dispensers for dispensing and metering powdered beverages.